When starting a new strength training routine, it’s normal to feel muscle soreness the day or two after a workout while your body is initially adapting. Here are our top tips to help with muscle recovery.
Sleep
Many of the body’s repair and regenerative processes occur during sleep, making muscle growth and repair essential after strength training. Adults should get between 7-9 hours of sleep per night for optimal recovery. You may also notice your sleep quality improves after you’ve trained, as your body is more physically tired at the end of the day.
Hydration
Staying hydrated and drinking at least 2 litres of water daily is important for muscle performance during exercise and recovery from training. Water helps increase the amount of blood circulating through the body, delivering nutrients and oxygen to our muscles.
Nutrition
After strength training, you damage the muscle fibres, opening up a window of increased protein synthesis (protein building). To help your muscles recover and rebuild, eating protein and a source of carbohydrates in the hours after training is essential. Carbs provide the energy required for protein synthesis and are also needed to replenish your carbohydrate energy stores that get used during the workout.
Recovery days
Ideally, leave 1-2 days of recovery between strength workouts to allow your muscles to repair and rebuild back stronger than they were before – this process (called supercompensation) can take 48-72 hours.
It’s great to keep moving on recovery days with light to moderate cardio (walking, jogging, cycling, swimming) or stretching, yoga, or mobility exercises, as this can help to improve your recovery, the blood flow to your muscles, and reduce stiffness.
Once you become more used to the exercises and weekly training sessions, you shouldn’t feel sore unless a new exercise or challenge is introduced, or you have a particularly big session!
At VAMOS, you get:
- A 45-minute programme design and assessment consultation.
- A bespoke and holistic 12-week training plan.
- VAMOS in-gym strength workouts to suit you and your plan.
- Full access to the VAMOS and VOLT training apps.
- 12 weeks of coaching and support, in gym and remote.
- Regular body composition scans.
- Strength Guaranteed.
